Israeli strike on Gaza’s Nasser Hospital kills six, including a surgeon
The strike hit the surgical wing of the medical complex in Khan Younis, according to Gaza health authorities. Israel says it targeted a Hamas commander and other fighters inside the hospital, an allegation that has not been independently verified.
Nasser Hospital, one of the few medical facilities still operating in the Gaza Strip, was struck again in the early hours of Thursday, November 12. An Israeli airstrike on one of its buildings killed six people, including a general surgeon, and wounded about 20, according to Gaza’s Civil Defense service, as cited by Reuters. The territory’s Health Ministry confirmed six deaths and at least a dozen injuries to the Associated Press.
The blast hit the surgical wing of the complex in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. Reuters footage from inside the hospital shows damaged rooms, debris strewn across furniture and wires hanging from the ceiling. Medical workers moved injured patients through corridors littered with rubble. Available information does not yet establish how many of those killed or wounded were patients, hospital staff or other people on the premises.
The Israeli military and the Shin Bet security service acknowledged the strike. In a joint statement, they said they had targeted a senior Hamas commander and other members of the group who, according to Israel, were hiding in the hospital and planning attacks. They also alleged that Hamas had used the complex as an operations center and weapons store. Reuters said it could not independently verify those allegations. Israeli authorities said they were still reviewing the outcome of the operation. They had not publicly identified the alleged commander or produced evidence confirming his presence there.
A hospital’s special protection
The question of who was inside the building does not remove the obligations of the parties to the conflict. The International Committee of the Red Cross explains that hospitals have special protection under international humanitarian law. That protection can cease under strict conditions if a facility is used to commit acts harmful to an adversary outside its medical function. Even then, rules on warning, proportionality and precautions to protect patients, staff and civilians still apply. The information available on Thursday is insufficient to determine whether those conditions were met in this strike.
Nasser has been attacked before. In August 2025, an Israeli strike at the complex killed five journalists, including an Associated Press contributor. Thursday’s damage places further strain on a health system trying to care for Gaza’s population after years of war and shortages.
The strike took place despite a U.S.-backed ceasefire that began in October 2025. Gaza health authorities say more than 1,600 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes and gunfire since then; Israel has also reported deaths among its soldiers. Each side accuses the other of violating the truce. The immediate question for Nasser Hospital is how it can continue providing care with its surgical wing damaged while the circumstances of the deaths are investigated.
